Should I use Access instead of Excel?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ed
  • Start date Start date
E

Ed

I'm soon to be starting up a small business. I'd like to be able to input
some information using a form. Some of the information would drive
calculations to help create a job estimate/invoice. At any time, the
information could be sorted/sifted/searched in any "direction". This would
not be a distributed application; I would be the only one using it on my
home computer.



What should I look at to decide if this would be better done in Access
(which I don't know very well, but could learn) rather than Excel (which I
have become very comfortable with)?



Ed
 
Ed,

You haven't said enough. In general, Excel excels at analyzing data
(various summaries, calculations, graphs, etc.) Access is the only way to go
for storing data, particularly when more than one table is required (and
often is), using forms to enter data, and printing data. There's more on
basic data storage at www.smokeylake.com/excel. Click "Excel truths." Read
"Database."
 
Thanks, Earl. You were right - I hadn't thought deep enough. I am going to
want a table of customers that I can manipulate separately from my jobs
table. I'll also need to track the supplies I'm using and their cost, and
probably shipping too. I guess it's time to learn Access!

Ed
 
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